Ruskell takes over Bears' player personnel duties

Tim Ruskell, announced Friday as the Bears' director of player personnel, will, in essence, handle the jobs that Bobby DePaul and Greg Gabriel did previously.

DePaul was the Bears' director of pro personnel until Feb. 15 when he was relieved of those duties. On Tuesday, director of college scouting Gabriel was told he would not be rehired for the 2010 season. Both were hired by Bears general manager Jerry Angelo on June 19, 2001, shortly after he became the team's general manager.

Now those duties have been merged into one job - Ruskell's.

"We will not have a director of college (scouting) or a director of pro (personnel)," Angelo said. "So Tim will oversee all matters in personnel."

Ruskell, 53, does not see the dual role as daunting.

"I don't think it's that big of a deal," he said. "As the general manager (for the previous five years with the Seattle Seahawks) and as the assistant GM in Atlanta (2004), that is kind of what I did. I was in both areas, whereas prior to my director of player personnel job in Tampa (2001-03), I was just on the college side. So I have been ingrained in both for the last 10, 12 years, so it just feels natural to me to be involved in both."

Ruskell has been involved in NFL personnel, and friends with Angelo, for 23 years. Their association began with the Tamp Bay Buccaneers, when Angelo was the Bucs' director of player personnel (1987-2000), while Ruskell was a regional scout (1987-91) and then director of college scouting (1992-2000). He succeeded Angelo as the Bucs' director of player personnel when Angelo took the Bears' job as general manager in May 2001.

"Tim and I have had a long-standing relationship starting back at Tampa," Angelo said. "He brings a plethora of knowledge. He's worked at every level - scout, director and general manager. So he's done a lot of things that will be a great asset to the club."

Although he wasn't asked, Angelo refuted any notion that Ruskell's hiring was based on their friendship.

"This is about making us a better organization," Angelo said. "I would never have brought anybody in here just to bring somebody in. I think he'll be a great fit."

Ruskell said his assimilation into the organization would be eased by his familiarity with many of his co-workers, including head coach Lovie Smith, who was the Bucs' linebackers coach from 1996-2000.

"I think I know just about every one of the scouts," Ruskell said. "I've got to get to know the pro (personnel) guys a little bit better. But having that relationship already established and having worked with some of those guys, I just think it tears down a lot of the barriers you have to fight through and get right to the matters at hand.

"I'm coming in there to roll up my sleeves and help in any way that I can and hit the ground running."

The Bears' college scouts and assistant pro personnel director Kevin Turks and pro scout Denard Wilson will all report to Ruskell, who in turn reports to Angelo in a more streamlined line of communication.

"He's done all those jobs," Angelo said of Ruskell's experience on the pro and college side of personnel. "It's easy in some regards because there's less communication and it makes it easier in terms of a chain of command."

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